The smart people who help me organize my professional life tell me that a professional-sounding bio is obligatory, so here’s that:
Luke Burgis has co-created and led four companies in wellness, consumer products, and technology. He’s currently Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Director of Programs at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship where he also teaches business at The Catholic University of America. Luke has helped form and serves on the board of several new K-12 education initiatives and writes and speaks regularly about the education of desire.
He studied business at NYU Stern and philosophy and theology at a pontifical university in Rome. He’s Managing Partner of Fourth Wall Ventures, an incubator that he started to build, train, and invest in people and companies that contribute to a healthy human ecology. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Claire, and her crazy New Orleans cat Clotille.
Okay, now that that’s out of the way, who am I, really? I occasionally hold a monthly, mid-week (virtual) Happy Hour for readers and friends around the world. No agenda other than to enjoy one another’s company. I do Q&A on book stuff for anyone who is interested. Sign-up for Mimetic Monday emails and you’ll receive details on how to Zoom in with us. Hope to see you there!
Luke is the author of his latest book, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life (Buy Now). Wanting is a groundbreaking exploration of why we want what we want, and a toolkit for freeing ourselves from chasing unfulfilling desires. Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur and teacher with a background in classical philosophy, Luke shows how to counteract the mimetic forces of the market by turning blind wanting into intentional wanting—not by trying to rid ourselves of desire, but by desiring differently. Burgis shows how to achieve more independence from trends and bubbles, how to feel more in control of the things we want, and ultimately how to find more meaning in our work and life by grounding them in desires that will never fade away.
A few things to know about Luke:
- Hope is my favorite virtue. Without hope, desires have no room to breathe and grow. I care about and invest in projects that expand the mind and the heart. If I lived 500 years ago, I probably would’ve wanted to oversee the construction of a beautiful cathedral. That’s still very much the kind of project that captures my imagination.
- I love to cook and learn about food (wine and cocktails too…). I believe creating a great meal experience not only happens in the presence of good company but actually creates good company. I’m interested in how experiences (both technological and incarnational) effect personal and societal transformation.
- My mission involves being a bridge-builder. I believe it’s critical that diverse ideas be allowed to co-exist in any organization or institution, and also among friends. I have little tolerance for people who shut people down because they have a different viewpoint. I say “yes” to working with people of very different political affiliations and viewpoints. My intention is always to assume goodwill and to treat everyone with equal dignity and respect.
